Editable instrument assembly

• US 20060201040A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PACCAR Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PACCAR Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Connor, Ian David, Caspe-Detzer, Martin Jay, Creel, William Michael, Lewis, Briggs Ricky-Dale, Luoma, John Charles, Scherzinger, Theodore Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,667,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 40/649
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/049 giving information to passengers inside the vehicles

Abstract

An editable instrument assembly (100) for a vehicle. The editable instrument assembly includes a plurality of lenses (110), each lens having an icon (112) disposed thereon and a lens frame (108). The lens frame is adapted to removably receive each of the plurality of lenses. The editable instrument assembly also includes an instrument panel (102) comprising a lens frame receiving assembly (160) for removably and slidably receiving the lens frame with the plurality of lenses.

Claims

1. An editable instrument assembly for a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of lenses, each lens having an icon disposed thereon;

(b) a lens frame, the lens frame adapted to removably receive each of the plurality of lenses; and

(c) an instrument panel comprising a lens frame receiving assembly for removably and slidably receiving the lens frame with the plurality of lenses.

2. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens frame is adapted to be removed from the lens frame receiving assembly without tools by manually pulling on the lens frame.

3. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens frame and each of the plurality of lenses are cooperatively shaped such that each of the plurality of lenses is orientateable in only a single predetermined direction when removably received by the lens frame.

4. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens frame and the lens frame receiving assembly are cooperatively shaped such that lens frame may be oriented in only a single predetermined direction when removably received by the lens frame receiving assembly.

5. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens frame further includes a insertion tab adapted to be gripped by a user while the lens frame is removably and slidably received by the lens frame receiving assembly and that is adapted to be selectively removed from the lens frame after the lens frame is removably and slidably received by the lens frame receiving assembly.

6. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens frame further includes a breakaway insertion tab adapted to be gripped by a user while the lens frame is removably and slidably received by the lens frame receiving assembly and that is adapted to be selectively broken off from the lens frame after the lens frame is removably and slidably received by the lens frame receiving assembly.

7. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens frame further includes a insertion tab adapted to be gripped by a user while the lens frame is removably and slidably received by the lens frame receiving assembly and that is adapted to be selectively removed from the lens frame after the lens frame is removably and slidably received by the lens frame receiving assembly, and further including a removal tab at least partially surrounded by the insertion tab, the removal tab permanently attached to the lens frame.

8. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, further comprising a retaining assembly for removably retaining the lens frame to the lens frame receiving assembly.

9. The editable instrument assembly of claim 8, wherein the retaining assembly includes a protrusion coupled to either the lens frame or the instrument panel and a biasing member coupled to the protrusion for biasing the protrusion into a recess disposed on the other of the lens frame or the instrument panel.

10. The editable instrument assembly of claim 1, wherein the instrument panel further includes a dead face, wherein the lens frame is inserted behind the dead face such that the plurality of lenses are disposed between the dead face and the lens frame.

11. An editable instrument assembly for a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of lenses, each lens having an icon disposed thereon;

(b) a lens frame, the lens frame adapted to removably receive each of the plurality of lenses;

(c) an instrument panel comprising a lens frame receiving assembly for removably receiving the lens frame with the plurality of lenses; and

(d) wherein the lens frame and each of the plurality of lenses are cooperatively shaped such that each of the plurality of lenses is only able to be orientated in a single predetermined direction when removably received by the lens frame.

12. An editable lens assembly adapted to be removably received by an instrument panel of a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of lenses, each lens having an icon disposed thereon;

(b) a lens frame adapted to removably receive the plurality of lenses, wherein each of the plurality of lenses and the lens frame are cooperatively shaped so that each of the plurality of lenses are receivable by the lens frame in only a single orientation; and

(c) an insertion tab removably coupled to the lens frame.

13. The editable lens assembly of claim 12, further comprising a removal tab coupled to the lens frame, the removal tab adapted to be gripped by a user to aid a user in applying a removal force upon the lens frame.

14. The editable lens assembly of claim 13, wherein the insertion tab at least partially surrounds the removal tab.

15. The editable lens assembly of claim 12, further including a retaining assembly for removably retaining the lens frame to an instrument panel of a vehicle.

16. The editable lens assembly of claim 15, wherein the retaining assembly includes a protrusion coupled to the lens frame and a biasing member coupled to the protrusion for biasing the protrusion outward from the lens frame, the protrusion adapted to be removably received by a recess in the instrument panel of the vehicle.

17. The editable lens assembly of claim 12, wherein the lens frame includes an alignment structure, the alignment structure adapted to interface with a cooperatively shaped alignment structure on an instrument panel receiving the lens frame such that the lens frame can only be oriented in a single predetermined direction relative to the instrument panel.

18. An editable lens assembly adapted to be slidably received by an instrument panel of a vehicle comprising:

(a) a plurality of lenses, each lens having an icon disposed thereon;

(b) a lens frame adapted to removably receive the plurality of lenses, wherein each of the plurality of lenses and the lens frame are cooperatively shaped so that each of the plurality of lenses are receivable by the lens frame in only a single orientation; and

(c) a pair of slide members coupled to the lens frame for permitting the lens frame to be slidably received by an instrument panel.

19. The editable lens assembly of claim 18, wherein the lens frame includes an alignment structure, the alignment structure adapted to interface with a cooperatively shaped alignment structure on an instrument panel receiving the lens frame such that the lens frame can only be oriented in a single predetermined direction relative to the instrument panel.

20. The editable lens assembly of claim 18, further comprising an insertion tab adapted to be gripped by a user to aid installation of the lens frame to an instrument panel, the insertion tab removably coupled to the lens frame such that the insertion tab may be removed after the installation of the lens frame.

21. A method of editing an instrument assembly of a vehicle, the instrument assembly including a lens frame removably received by an instrument panel of the vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a first lens having a first icon disposed on the first lens from a plurality of lenses, wherein each of the plurality of lenses has a different icon disposed on the lens;

(b) selecting a second lens having a second icon disposed on the second lens from the plurality of lenses;

(c) removably coupling the first and second lenses upon the lens frame; and

(d) removably coupling the lens frame to an instrument panel.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising removably coupling the lens frame to the instrument panel by sliding the lens frame into the instrument panel.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising removably coupling the lens frame to the instrument panel by gripping an insertion tab removably coupled to the lens frame and removing the insertion tab from the lens frame after coupling of the lens frame to the instrument panel is completed.